Plasma cutting pipe

Hi, I'm new here and new to CNC DIY.
Before I ever get involved in building a CNC Plasma table, I wanted to try some semi automated pipe cutting. I have some 6" sched 40 that I want to cut to length .... I was wondering if I can setup a stepper motor with a timing belt tensioned around the pipe to control rotation. The pipe will be sitting on a set of rollers. I want to be able to set speed and degrees of rotation.

This came to mind, looking to be able to adjust cutting speed for the torch and material thickness and limit rotation. Future thought would be to expand to 2-axis and automate the torch for cutting holes, etc.

I am not sure where to start looking...

What is needed to achieve this? Motor, controller, driver, PC, software?

Thanks,
Glen

Guess nobody has an answer... 116 views and no replies, is this the wrong forum?

Glenn you need to talk w/ Tom at CandCNC.com about this. He is very knowledgeable about it and can help you a lot.

Glenn you seem to have things backwards. In most circumstances you built a CNC Plasma table THEN venture into (rotary) pipe cutting. That is because there is a lot to any type of plasma cutting and the complexity increases with rotary. Simply cutting off a piece of pipe can be done one some rollers and by hand or a fixed torch holder. You will need a drag tip and if the torch is mounted some sort of spring loading.. Now, if you want to start doing pipe fitting ....things like saddle cuts, miters, and complex pipe joints, it gets complex and expensive fast. You first have to get CNC plasma cutting working. About 50% of that is the Drawing (CAD) and Toolpath to G-CODE (CAM) then you have to have a control system that can handle rotating the pipe the exact amount to cut the design on the surface (circumference ) of the pipe and at the proper feed rate for the thickness of material. You have to either draw in 3D and unfold (roll it to 2D) or have an application that will do that for you. That pretty much describes the new PipeFit Plugin we developed for SheetCAM TNG

I am not a fan of wrapping a belt around a pipe and expecting accurate cuts. Any slippage and you are hosed. A true rotary axis and chuck are one way. Another is to have powered rollers (you need several) Then you have to think about the longest piece you might want to cut and how to handle the material.

Just keep in mind every pipe you cut may have a different OD and that means a different circumference that is the surface you are cutting on and the axis calibration either has to change or you have to do some math and scale the cut file to a standard diameter. The bigger the pipe the faster the surface moves at a given RPM. You need a surface speed that matches what the plasma cutter needs (specified in a Cut Chart by material and current settings)

TOMcaudle
www.CandCNC.com

Tom, thanks for your reply, this isn't the first time I tried doing something from the back door... I have setup some rollers and did the cut by hand, however I wanted to get the speed a bit more accurate. I will be setting up a roller fixture, 4-6 up close (maybe 12" apart) and one to support the long pieces (either 4/4 or 6/2 configuration) The torch may be fixed on an adjustable arm so I can rotate the torch for straight cuts or bevel...

I agree the belt slipping is an issue, needs constant weight for tension, not too bad on the 6", lots of area. A drive wheel/roller is a good idea, but I really need to find a very slow adjustable speed motor.

Hello Guys

I am from China, a factory of plasma cutting machine, our pipe plasma cutting is very good and have 3 axis|4 axis| 5axis|6axis pipe plasma cutting machine.

Regards
Casper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2qg...MxYjmw&index=7

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lasersolution

Hello Guys

I am from China, a factory of plasma cutting machine, our pipe plasma cutting is very good and have 3 axis|4 axis| 5axis|6axis pipe plasma cutting machine.

Regards
Casper

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